


Nature's Balance

by Dani_Jade



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Gen, Magic, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25138384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dani_Jade/pseuds/Dani_Jade
Summary: After Somnus murders the original Oracle, the world of Eos is left unbalanced. The Crystal, however, has a solution: create a second line of Oracles. For there must surely be two Oracles for two rightful kings.
Relationships: Ardyn Izunia/Original Character(s), Ardyn Izunia/Original Female Character(s), Ignis Scientia/Original Character(s), Ignis Scientia/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

Two millennia ago, lived two brothers. Two brothers that would shape the clay of Eos in their volatile hands.

The sons of Caelum, Ardyn, the eldest, and Somnus, the youngest, though bound together by their noble bloodline lived two very separate lives. In a world slowly being consumed by the Starscourge where demons run rampant, Ardyn chose to live as a humble healer, traveling the countryside and curing victims of the Starscourge. Somnus, however, lead armies against the daemons and showed no mercy against those ailed by the infection.

As each son was favored by the Crystal and soul of Eos, only one could rule its people. Oracle and middle-man to the gods, Aera Fleuret faithfully loved and followed her fiancee and rightful heir to the throne. However, her betrothed had no interest in the throne, unless ruling was required for him to better serve his people. 

Alas, the youngest son was also a jealous one. 

Being preferred by both the people and the Crystal, Somnus knew he stood no chance against his brother in holding the right to the throne. 

That was something he had to change.

As the purest of men grew tainted by the Starscourge, the Crystal was shifting its favoritism. Somnus concocted a plot of fratricide and when acted upon, Ardyn was rejected by the Crystal. 

In the final battle between brothers, the Oracle was murdered and Ardyn was left incapacitated to be hidden away for many years to come. 

Somnus was crowned king. 

Although the Crystal rejected the peoples’ true king, it still felt the imbalance, for there cannot be one oracle to be shared among two kings. 

Thus the Astaroth line was created.

~~~

“Drix! I have a new assignment for you.” Cor caught her on her way from the training hall. Vedrixia wasn’t surprised, being a Kingsglaive meant spending very little time in one place, always being dispersed across Lucis. 

“Where to this time, sir?” She asked, wiping the bead of sweat from her brow that threatened to fall directly in her eye.

“This one isn’t a stagnant location like your other assignments, it’s more of an… escort mission.” Cor’s brows were furrowed and Vedrixia knew there was a rather large catch that Cor was withholding. Turning her back to Cor, she began to remove her personal belongings from the gym locker, not fully wanting to face the questionable news Cor was about to unleash.

“And? Who am I escorting?”

Cor sighed, “Prince Noctis.” Vedrixia ceased all movement. “You are to escort him to his wedding to Lady Lunafreya Fleuret in Altissia.”

Vedrixia released the breath she had been holding and slowly turned to face Cor, a whirlwind of questions in her head. “But isn’t his Crownsguard crew supposed to be his escort? Why would they need a Glaive on top of those three?” Everyone was quite familiar with the Shield, the Strategist, and the Guns (trigger-happy with both a camera and a weapon) and knew they could certainly handle themselves and were more than enough to protect the king-to-be on a simple drive to Altissia. The request for more protection was more than enough to spark suspicion and concern in Drix.

“Listen,” Cor huffed. “All I know is the King is thorough and just wanted some extra hands on deck.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, furrowing his brows in barely contained frustration, “I don’t need one of your interrogations today.”

Vedrixia sighed.

Cor Leonis was lying.

Badly.

In joining the Kingsglaive during her teens as a naive attempt to avenge the death of her parents (a casualty of the war with Niflheim), Vedrixia found a father figure in The Immortal as he had taken her under his wing. Always bristling with questions from an insatiable hunger for knowledge, Cor was often the receiver of her many questions or “interrogations” as he would put it. In those years of questioning everything she encountered, Vedrixia also encountered many liars. And with liars, come tells. 

Vedrixia had discovered and memorized each of Cor’s tells by the age of seventeen.

However, simply catching Cor in a lie rarely made him very forthcoming with information. With this knowledge, Drix accepted her fate of ignorance. 

“Alright,” she sighed. “When do I take my leave?”

Cor’s gaze met hers and a sense of finality thickened the air.

“Tomorrow.”

~~~

The Citadel had never been so tense as on the day of the Prince’s departure. 

The farewells of Father and Son looked regal as ever and awkward as ever.  
Vedrixia stood to the side, separate but still with the Crownsguard trio as the King expressed his wishes to his son.

“The hour has come,” King Regis began in all his formality. “Set forth with my blessing, Prince Noctis.”

Noctis bowed stiffly to his father, “Thank you, your majesty.”

It seemed as though today, the lines of age and stress were more prominent in the King’s weary face than ever before. “Take your leave and go in the grace of the gods.”

“Right,” Noctis rose to his full height and swiftly departed. 

Vedrixia could not contain her shocked expression toward the young prince’s lack of decorum, suspecting he would be receiving a lesson in propriety from his astounded advisor.

The trio began descending the steps, each muttering their own discontent about the proceedings as Vedrixia still kept a slight distance.

“Well, princes will be princes.”

“So much for royal protocol.”

“Not like you had to deliver a formal address…”

“Wait!” The Kingsglaive Captain shouted from the King’s side, effectively catching everyone's attention.

“What now?” Noctis whined.

Vedrixia watched in pity as the crippled King began to make his way down the steps after his son. Years of keeping the Wall stable had certainly taken its toll on the King of Lucis.

“I fear I have left too much unsaid,” the King began. “You place a great burden on those who would bear it with you.”

The young prince scoffed, “You’re one to talk.”

King Regis slowly looked to the royal retinue, “I ask not that you guide my wayward son, merely that you remain at his side.”

Vedrixia continued to grow suspicious with the urgency and seriousness emanating from the King.

“Indeed, your Grace,” Ignis Scientia uttered with a bow.

“We’ll see the prince to Altissia if it’s the last thing we do.”

“Yeah, that!” said Prompto.

Vedrixia dropped to her knee, bowing her head, “Harm must bring us each to our knees before he lays a hand on the Prince, Your Majesty.”

The four protectors left the father and son to a final goodbye and convened at the Regalia. 

“Ms. Astaroth,” Ignis began. “We were informed this morning that you would be joining us, although I’m sorry to say it may be a bit of a tight fit in the Regalia.”

“Yep, you don’t get to keep your 4-foot wide personal bubble anymore, Glaive,” Gladio chimed in. 

“I assure you that’s quite alright, Mr. Scientia. I was given a bit of short notice as well, however it should be fine considering it will be a fairly short trip. And my distance, Mr. Amicitia was to ensure I did not brashly invade your own ranks,” Vedrixia stated as professionally as she could muster.

With an indignant huff, Gladio turned away. Ignis began making his way to the driver’s seat and Prompto was taking pictures of the Prince’s farewell. 

The King was the last to be heard before their departure, stating:

“Walk tall, my son.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left kudos on the last chapter! Feel free to leave some comments and let me know how you think things will play out and if you are liking the story! If you like it well enough, please considering buying me a ko-fi at https://ko-fi.com/oodanijadeoo

Vedrixia leaned against the Regalia in the blistering Liede heat. The car had broken down just a short while into their journey. Each member of the retinue looked as if they would soon melt into the interior of the Regalia, or in Prompto’s case, the tar of the road.

Gladio sighed as the fifth vehicle passed by without stopping, “I think we can forget about hitching our way there. Thought people were friendly outside the city.”

Piping up from the driver’s seat, “You can only go so far on the kindness of strangers,” Ignis said.

Vendrixia shed another layer of her Kingsglaive uniform, “Well, we’re going to have to figure something out before we all have to take a potion to save us from heatstroke.” She threw an arm across her eyes, attempting to block out some of the sunlight.

“Looks like we’re just gonna have to push her all the way,” said Gladio with a slightly revived energy.

“But I’ve already pushed myself,” Prompto began with an air of theatrics. “To the brink… of death!”

Vedrixia nudged his shoulder with the toe of her boot, popping off the back of the car, “Come on, up with you. The sooner we get this thing rolling the sooner we can get to some air conditioning.”

With that, Prompto was quickly on his feet.

“You too, Your Highness.”

Noctis merely grumbled, inciting Gladio to use a bit more force with the young prince.

He slapped him on the back, “Oh, get up.”

The four of them began pushing the Regalia with Ignis in the driver’s seat and the boys quickly began their usual banter.

“Let’s hope this isn’t some kind of omen.”

“Gladio, do me a favor,” the young prince said.

“What?”

“Push this thing by yourself.”

“All by myself?” He continued as Vedrixia chuckled quietly.

“You won’t even notice if we just let go,” Prompto chimed in. “Besides, my hands are killing me.”

“You rather I kill you with mine?” Gladio quickly retorted.

Vedrixia felt like the tension was getting to be a bit too much, “Hey now, you had better not get any blood on my boots. I just polished these so if you’re going to have a quick lesson in natural selection, I suggest you take it to the side of the road.”

“I concur,” Ignis commented from the front. “Cor  _ did  _ just send the Regalia to be waxed and surely would not appreciate and blood spilled on her.”

Noctis and Prompto both groaned.

This was going to be a  _ long _ trip.

~~~

Finally making it to Hammerhead, each member of the party was thoroughly exhausted. Ignis and Gladio were both stretching their legs, walking around the Regalia while Prompto and Prince Noctis laid haphazardly on the ground. Vendrixia, on the other hand, was sprawled out in the backseat of the Regalia with her feet propped up against the passenger door.

“Hey there!” A high pitch, accented voice sounded from outside the vehicle. Vedrixia raised her head just in time to see Prompto stumbling to his feet. He looked as though he had never seen anyone of the female gender before. “Y’all sure kept a girl waitin’!”

The barely-clothed blonde glanced around their group, “Now which one’s the Prince?”

Noctis popped up from the other side of the Regalia behind Vedrixia’s head as she took her cue to straighten up and exit the vehicle.

“A-ha! Hello, your Highness!” The blonde said, popping a hip out. “Congrats on your wedding!”

“Not hitched just yet,” Noctis replied, scratching the back of his head.

“Lady Lunafreya’s groom-to-be, here in Hammerhead,” She said in awe.

Ignis joined in the conversation, “Apologies for taking so long.”

“You’d best be savin’ your apologies for Paw-Paw,” She said seriously.

Gladio rounded the car, “Well that makes you…”

“Cindy,”  _ Finally, a name, _ Vedrixia thought. “Cid’s grease-monkey granddaughter.”

A crackling voice sounded from within the shop, “Roll ‘er in while I’m still young!”

“I suspect that’s Cid?” Drix asked Cindy. She gave a hum and nod of her head.

Cindy’s aging grandfather made his way to the group, “Didn’t yer daddy tell ya? She’s a custom classic, not some beat-up ol' clunker.” His expression was enthralled in reminiscence and nostalgia. Cid’s gaze shifted to the young man, “Prince Noctis.”

“Uh, yeah.”

Vedrixia scoffed at the boy and crossed her arms. The lack of respect the young prince could exhibit was astounding to the Glaive. She had received many slaps to the back of the head from Cor due to ill-timed sass in her youth. Being seven years older than the prince, she knew he had a lot to learn in a very short amount of time.

“Prince,” Cid shook his head, indignant. “Like they took your old man and kicked the dignity out of him.”

That certainly caught the Prince’s attention. “What?”

“You got a long way to go, son,” Cid began grimly. “And that slack jaw’s gettin’ you nowhere fast. She’s gonna take a while, y’all get ‘er in and run along.”

Cindy watched as her grandfather made his way back to the shop, “Y’all heard him! Let’s get moving.”

~~~

Vedrixia walked around the outpost, kicking rocks and cans. She sipped on a can of Ebony she purchased with the little gil she brought with her. Vedrixia knew she would need a caffeine boost if she was going to make it the rest of the afternoon without biting off the young prince’s head.

Vedrixia had just picked up a stick to swirl around in the dirt when-  _ click _ . 

Whipping around just in time to be stunned by the flash of a camera, she rubbed her eyes and soon saw shocked Prompto that knew he had been caught. 

“Sorry,” Prompto laughed nervously. “I hope you don’t mind me taking your picture, Ms. Astaroth. I like to take photos on our trips for… memories… and stuff…” he trailed off, looking everywhere but Vedrixia out of embarrassment. 

Vedrixia laughed lightly, “That’s alright.” She smiled warmly at him, “Your reputation with a camera has made its way around in the Kingsglaive, so I expected nothing less.”

“Oh,” He sputtered, hanging the camera back around his neck. “I didn’t know.”

Vedrixia turned her attention back to her stick and dirt, “Yep. And you can stop with the “Ms. Astaroth” deal. We’re going to be here for a while so we might as well call each other by our first names. Not to mention, it makes me feel old.” She grimaced and stuck her tongue out as if the mere thought left a bad taste in her mouth. “You can call me Vedrixia, or Drix if you prefer. And that applies to you as well, Ignis, Gladio,” she spoke louder to the two boys sitting on the bench.

“I suppose you’re right,” Ignis said, pushing up his glasses in the most dignified manner. “This has been a most inconvenient delay.”

“Yeah, and this “inconvenient delay” is making me stir crazy,” Gladio ran his hands along his face, stretching his legs out. 

“I may be able to amend that shortly, I must go discuss our dwindling funds with Noctis,” Ignis said, rising to his feet.

As Ignis went to go find Noctis and Prompto busied himself with taking photographs, Gladio decided to strike up a conversation with Vedrixia.

“So, Drix,” He began, testing out the nickname. “How long have you been a member of the Glaive?”

Drix stood up to face Gladio pacing along with her stick in front of him, “Let’s see, this will make…” She drew out the word, counting in her head, “Eight years? Although I trained with Cor for four years. He wouldn’t let me join until my nineteenth birthday. Something about it being too ‘dangerous.’” She scoffed, chuckling lightly at the thought. 

“Nineteen, huh? So that would make you…”

“Twenty-seven,” She answered. “I’m practically ancient!” Drix said in a dramatic voice, raising a hand to her forehead as if she might faint at any moment.

Gladio hummed in agreement as he looked away, never appearing fully engaged in the conversation.

“I don’t know why the King thought we needed a Glaive to come with us,” He said suddenly. Drix stopped her pacing, sensing the conversation was about to take a sharp turn.

She chose her next words carefully, “I don’t fully know either. Cor didn’t tell me any reason to need extra security, aside from it being the Prince’s wedding, of course.”

“Well, if Cor didn’t give you any extra reason to be here, it sounds to me like you shouldn’t be here at all.”

And there was the guard rail.

Vedrixia clenched her fist and opened it back again, shutting her eyes and breathing deeply.  _ Don’t piss off the Guard, Cor will ream my ass. Don’t piss off the Guard, Cor will ream my ass. _

After thinking over her mantra  _ several _ times, Vedrixia responded, “I can assure you, Gladiolus, that while neither of us may be aware of why I am here, I can assure you the need exists, otherwise King Regis would not have requested my presence. Furthermore, I promise you that whether or not I know my reason for being here, I will perform my duties as a Kingsglaive to protect Prince Noctis to the fullest of my abilities, whether or not you find a need for me.” As her defense went along, Vedrixia had slowly begun to stand at Glaive Attention. Then, she noticed a faint golden glow coming from one of her clenched fists. Deciding she had elevated her blood pressure to the point of hallucination, Drix gave Gladio a curt nod and went to find Ignis and the Prince.


End file.
